The old car on the Bull Creek trail
This is a recent find for me, despite running and hiking these trails for years! Apparently I haven't been exploring enough!
I've been up and down the length of the Bull Creek Greenbelt trails here in Austin more times than I can remember (or count). It's my "go to" trail for a hike or run, and my favorite trail in Austin. Part of the allure for me is that it's pretty close to home, but I also like that it's not too big and thus not as well known as others (such as the Barton Creek Greenbelt trail, which is much bigger and closer to downtown, and thus much more crowded).
I'm also a big fan of the waterfalls here, which are more numerous than you would think, and quite beautiful if you ask me. I even show up now and then for a quick sunset shoot.
But as they say, you can always learn something new, and I have. On a recent trail run out here, I decided to veer off the main trail and try a smaller one that actually went on the opposite side of the creek than I normally head out on. I guess I felt adventurous, or you could say that something wanted me to go wander on that route to find this old car.
Not all those who wander are lost. ~ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
So the other day, I headed out with my favorite photographer (my daughter, of course) and we hiked over here with our gear to fire away. It was a misty and wet day, trying to muster up enough energy to really rain, but it held off while I was gunning my brackets at this old thing and trying hard not to slide into the creek while standing on the steep bank.
It's not a subject that everyone would care about - in fact, my daughter didn't really care - but I love old rusty stuff. It's just interesting to me, and I have been busy making up stories about how it got here.
The car appears to be really old, maybe from the 1950's or so. It's not just sitting there by the edge of the creek either - it's literally buried under years of dirt, gravel and rock. And one other thing - there's not a road there. Up above where the car sits is a very steep incline and my guess (obviously a complete guess) is that maybe years ago the car came careening down the incline, out of control, and crashed there. Who knows? I make up stories that it was a mob hit too, because there appear to be bullet holes on one of the back fenders. Hey it could be true!
